Bridget Bevan & the Welsh Language

Let’s return to the theme of the Welsh language and its historical struggle for survival in the face of oppression by talking about Bridget Bevan.

Who Was Bridget Bevan?

When talking about the survival of the Welsh language post-Henry VIII, one of the true unsung heroes is a lady by the name of Bridget Bevan.

Bridget Bevan was born at Derllys Court, Llannewydd, Sir Gaerfyrddin, and lived between 1698 and the 11th December 1779. Undoubtedly, her greatest achievement in Cymru was her vital role in the survival of the Welsh language during a time in which, quite simply, it wasn’t mean to survive.

A philanthropist and daughter of the very wealthy John Vaughan, Bevan was the chief financer of the rector at Llanddowror, Carmarthenshire, Griffith Jones, who founded a travelling (from village to village) Welsh charity school system which provided a Christian education to adults and children alike. Even better, the education was provided in the Welsh language. Bridget Bevan was passionate about the causes of the Welsh language and the education of the poor and threw significant wealth into Jones’ idea.

It is believed today that around 304,475 Welsh people were taught to read their native language by the schools of Bevan and Jones and this, in-turn, led to Cymru having one of the highest literacy rates in all of Europe for a time. Jones would pass in 1761 and, instead of replacing the man or retiring the project, Bridget Bevan instead took over the running of the 6,321 schools founded and continued the project for the remainder of her life.

News of its success would spread and Catherine the Great of Russia, one of the most prominent leaders in European history and a proponent of the Enlightenment era (my personal favourite history subject), commanded her ministers to enquire about the scheme and begin a similar project with the intention of educating the poor in Russia.

Bridget Bevan would pass away on 11 December 1779, leaving £10,000 (which, I may be wrong, calculates to roughly £2,580,493.86 today) to the schools.

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